Berlin 2001 – scientific programme

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Q: Quantenoptik

Q 22: Poster: Quantum Effects

Q 22.11: Poster

Thursday, April 5, 2001, 12:30–15:00, AT2

Tunnelling Time Measurements of a Double-Prism — •Astrid Haibel and Günter Nimtz — Universität zu Köln, II. Physikalisches Institut, Zülpicher Str. 77, 50937 Köln

A smart system to study tunnelling time presents the double prism in measuring the frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR). The barrier transmission time of the double–prism, or what we call here the tunnelling time can be split into two components t_tunnel=t_|| + t_⊥, one along the surface of the first prism due to the Goos–Hänchen shift, and another part perpendicular to the surface. The first component is related to a non–evanescent wave characterized by the real wavenumber while the second one is related to the evanescent mode traversing the gap between the two prisms. The path of a reflected as well as a transmitted beam differs now exactly by the gap distance. Our measurements revealed that both beams the reflected and the transmitted one leave the prisms at the same time. This interesting result states that the transmitted beam did not spend any time in the gap, i.e inside the photonic barrier.